Smarter Deer? Smarter Drivers? Both? Fewer Being Killed On Roads

The news from State Farm Insurance that "for the third consecutive year, the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. has dropped," is getting noticed in states where Buck vs. Buick encounters are common and usually don't end up well for either party.

" 'It makes sense to us that during these challenging economic times, drivers in the U.S. are logging fewer miles,' says State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke in an email. 'Everything else being equal, the fewer miles we drive, the fewer deer we hit.

" 'But perhaps not everything else is equal,' he adds. 'Perhaps there is at least one other factor in play. We would like to think that the attention State Farm and others (including the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) have drawn to this issue in recent years has inspired drivers to be more attentive to what they can do to reduce their chances of an encounter with a deer.' "

As for where a driver is most- and least-likely to hit a deer, State Farm says:

-- Hawaii is by far the least-likely place, with a 1 in 6,267 chance.

-- West Virginia remains the most-likely, with a 1 in 53 chance.

According to State Farm, there were 1.1 million deer-vehicle collisions between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, down 7 percent from the previous year.

By the way, deer and humans are in the midst of some dangerous months. According to State Farm, its data show that:

"November, the heart of the deer migration and mating season, is the month during which deer-vehicle encounters are most likely. More than 18 percent of all such mishaps take place during the 30 days of November.

"Deer-vehicle collisions are three times more likely to occur on a day in November than they are on any day between February 1st and August 31st. October is the second most likely month for a crash involving a deer and a vehicle. December is third."